


Countdown

by Quagswagging



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22257802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quagswagging/pseuds/Quagswagging
Summary: The age of your Soulmate when you first kiss them is written on your skinIt sounds simple enough, but the '19' written on Carlos's skin taunts him, and he loses all hope of finding the person belonging to the number.But then he meets his new McLaren teammate
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr, Mitch Evans/Stoffel Vandoorne, Nico Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen
Comments: 23
Kudos: 291





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

> request from Tumblr: maybe 4 for carlando?? i can see carlos being so eager at the end of school bc his tattoo said 19(18?) and hoping and hoping and getting nothing until his 24?? It's okay if u cant make it thanks anyway 😊
> 
> number 4 links to a Soulmate AU prompt: "The age your soulmate is when you meet them is tattooed onto your wrist." I changed the prompt slightly to 'the age of your Soulmate when you first kiss them is written on your wrist' and added the fact that it turns gold when you finally kiss them. (just cos it fits better for this storyline hehe)
> 
> I hope Anon (and everyone else) likes this fic! Let me know what you think!

The tattoo had always been on his wrist, the 1 and the 9 curling over his skin of his right hand, clear lined and vibrant in colour. Sometimes, Carlos hated it. Even though he knew his Soulmate would be 19 when they kissed for the first time, that didn’t mean he would know what age he would be himself. Still, the more he neared the age written on his wrist himself, the more nervous and anxious he got. 

But 19 came and went, and his soulmate was nowhere to be found. 

The older he got, the more Carlos resigned to the fact that maybe something had gone wrong, and that him and his Soulmate were just not quite meant to be. 

More than once, he had thought his teammates to be his Soulmates, but none of them had his age on their wrist when he met them, but none of the ages on their wrists matched. And so he stayed alone

Then he got to F1, and for a moment, he didn’t care about Soulmates. First, him and Max were… _something_. They were not a couple, since it was hard to be together if you weren’t Soulmate, but they could provide each other the closeness they needed. But then Max kissed Daniel on a dare, and the dark Marks on their wrists turned a golden colour.

And Carlos was alone again.

Wearing yellow at Renault had been a breath of fresh air, and once more Carlos had someone to be close to. Nico was someone who he could love, yet the number on his wrist kept Carlos from committing fully.

But then, just as Max had, Nico found his Soulmate.

Carlos was happy for Nico and Kevin, he really was, but all the same it meant he was alone again. It was clear Nico felt guilty about it, as did Kevin, and while they still invited him for movie nights and the likes, Carlos almost never went.

He turned 24 and just gave up. If he met his Soulmate, they would be 5 years younger than him, and while in world of F1, the guys were young, it was rare to find anyone that young.

Carlos resigned to the fact that he'd never meet his Soulmate. The tattoo on his wrist was covered by a strategically placed leather bracelet and Carlos refused to acknowledge its presence any longer.

Going to McLaren was an honour. Yes, maybe the team wasn't as 'up there' as it had been years ago, but it was a team with a history, and a team which Fernando had ensured him would care about him for more than the prize horse he had been at Toro Rosso, or the young boy forgotten in yellow.

Carlos was glad for Fernando's guidance. The older Spaniard, and then also Jenson, had always been there to help Carlos and both truly seemed to care for him.

He visited Jenson and Nando in the house they shared in London during the winter break before he would officially start at McLaren. Stoffel and Kevin were there too, and it was a proper little family holiday. Carlos was momentarily afraid Stoffel would be angry at him, after all, Carlos had a seat Stoffel would have wanted too, but Stoffel did not seem bothered.

"Hi." The Belgian greeted enthusiastically, hugging Carlos close. Carlos hugged back a little wearily,pulling away abruptly when Stoffel kissed his cheek.

"Do you have brain damage of is Nando contagious?" Carlos huffed. Stoffel looked at him with wide eyes.

"I found him, Carlito. I found my Soulmate." He whispered. Carlos blinked, then grabbed Stoffel's hands and smiled.

"Who is it?" He asked curiously. Stoffel let out a shaky breath.

"Mitch. It was Mitch all along." He whispered with a grin. Carlos chuckled.

"You must have been the only guy not to kiss him when we were in F2." He teased. Stoffel rolled his eyes.

"I might have always had a crush on him, but i was too shy to act on it before." Stoffel chuckled. "Some of us are just slow." He added. Carlos hummed and looked away, absentmindedly scratching at his Mark. Stoffel saw the motion and smiled tenderly.

"You'll find them, Carlos, I know waiting is hard, but it will happen." He promised. Carlos sighed and snuggled Stoffel a second time. 

“I know… I just - it scares me, to not have found them yet.” he admitted. 

“Oh cariño.” a voice tutted behind them. “Don’t worry yourself so much.” Carlos turned out of Stoffel’s embrace to look at Fernando, who had come up behind them with Jenson.

“I was even older than you when I finally realised it was Jenson I belonged with.” Fernando soothed. “It will be okay, Marks don’t lie.” he added. Carlos nodded and hugged him, snuggling into the fellow Spaniard’s embrace. He pretended to agree with Fernando, but deep down, all hope for a Soulmate was gone. And he doubted he would ever get it back.

~~~

Carlos was hesitant when he first met Lando. The man - boy? - was young in age, but even younger in looks and in behaviour. The only thing Carlos could compare him too was an overly excited puppy, and he wasn’t yet sure if that was a good thing.

The first time they met, Lando had been awkward and nervous, refusing to meet Carlos’s eyes and awkwardly clasping his hand as Carlos held it out. Carlos instantly pulled his hand away as a shock of electricity went through his skin.

“Sorry, I was cold and rubbing my hands on my jeans to warm them up.” Lando explained awkwardly. “It must have caused the static electricity.” he added more softly. Carlos hummed and held out his hand a second time.

“It’s okay.” he said kindly. Lando clasped his hand again, and this time there was no shock, although the hairs on Carlos’s arm still stood up. Lando raised his eyes to meet Carlos’s now, and Carlos was surprised by how pretty they were. Lando smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you, teammate.” 

~~~~

Carlos would have never expected it, but Lando and him became fast friends. The Englishman was bubbly and happy, eager to have fun and to hang out with Carlos. Carlos was more careful this time around. In past times, getting too close to teammates meant getting hurt, and he didn’t want to go through that ever again. 

He didn’t know what number was on Lando’s wrist, as the younger man’s wrist was covered by a wristband too, but it all didn’t matter. Carlos didn’t want a Soulmate. He didn’t need one to be happy.

It was on a regular FIFA night that everything changed. Lando was over in Carlos’s hotel room, having smuggled in snacks. They were sitting on the floor with their backs against the bed, cursing and yelling at each other as they played their sixth game of the game. 

Carlos was just about to score a rather amazing goal, when the tv faltered, then turned blue. Both men groaned when the word “Updating” crossed the screen.

“Stupid thing.” Carlos grumbled, dropping his controller. Lando mimicked the motion, huffing a little.

“Biggest let down ever.” he muttered. Carlos hummed. They sat in silence for a moment, before Lando groaned and scratched at his wrist. Carlos frowned.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Lando shrugged.

“The Mark has been itching like crazy, stupid thing.” he explained. “I doubt I’ll even meet my Soulmate any time soon, it’s just annoying really.” he added. Carlos sighed, resting his head back against the bed.

“I hate all this Soulmate business.” he whispered softly. Lando stayed quiet for a moment, then reached to take Carlos’s hand. 

“Let’s just not bother then. I am happy without a Soulmate.” he said strongly. Carlos squeezed Lando’s palm and sighed.

“You’re young. Don’t give up yet.” he muttered, before closing his eyes, deep in thought.

“I am not that much younger than you!” he huffed. Carlos just chuckled.

“I think I’m going to bed.” he said after a moment. “You want to stay here? It’s already late.” he muttered. Lando nodded and stood up. They both changed into more comfortable clothing, Carlos lending Lando some sweatpants and a shirt that were too big on Lando’s frame. 

They cuddled into bed together, laying on their sides and facing each other. Lando took Carlos’s hand again, shuffling a little closer. Carlos blinked slowly, feeling sleepy, and smiled at the younger man.

“I’m glad you’re here with me.” he whispered. Lando let out a shaky sigh, leaning in to rest their foreheads together and closing his eyes.

“Goodnight Carlos.” Lando whispered. Carlos hummed sleepily in return. The last thing he felt before he fell asleep where a pair of soft lips briefly pressing over his, but he fell asleep before he could respond.

~~~

The next morning, it was already light outside when Carlos finally woke up. Lando was still asleep, his head resting on Carlos’s torso and one leg slung over Carlos’s. Carlos smiled down as Lando wrinkled up his nose a little and then yawned.

“Morning.” Lando muttered sleepily, opening his eyes. Carlos smiled at him. 

“Morning.” he said, voice still rough with grogginess. Lando snuggled into Carlos’s chest a little more, but then stilled, hissing sharply.

“My wrist really hurts.” he gasped, clawing at the black leather around his wrist. Carlos frowned and sat up too, and gasped as his wrist burned as well. 

They pulled off their cuffs at the same time, and then both fell silent.

“I… I don’t understand.” Carlos whispered with wide eyes, as he looked down on his Mark. The 1 and the 9 were no longer a dull black, but a bright gold. He only looked away from the number when Lando let out a sob.

“Carlos…” he whimpered, clumsily trusting his own arm towards the Spaniard. On the younger man’s wrist, 24 glared back at Carlos in bright gold. Carlos stared at it, speechless.

“I- I kissed you last night, just before we fell asleep.” Lando whispered. “I-it was in the spur of the moment an I… I… _We’re Soulmates._ ” he added.

Carlos started to cry.

Lando’s eyes widened and he pulled Carlos’s closer, snuggling into him.

“I’m sorry, I must be the last person you ever wanted as Soulmate.” Lando whispered, gently stroking Carlos’s hair as the Spaniard continued to sob. Carlos looked up, wiping the tears off his cheeks as he tried to calm himself.

“You’re all I ever hoped for.” he hiccuped. “I just never expected to find you.” he added, trembling fingers brushing over Lando’s cheek. Lando smiled shakily.

“So you want this? You want me?” he asked softly. Carlos let out a strangled sound, drawing Lando into a desperate kiss. Lando kissed back instantly, pressing as close to Carlos as he could. Eventually, Carlos pulled away, still trembling and with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I want nothing more.” he whispered. “I’ve found you, and I’m not letting go.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr: bwoahtastic


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